Hannicap Circus

“Hannicap Circus” is the debut studio album by D12’s Bizarre, released June 28, 2005, through Sanctuary Urban and Red Head Records.

The story

Recorded in 2004 and 2005 in studios in Detroit, Ferndale, Farmington Hills, Cincinnati and North Hollywood, the album followed D12’s “D12 World” (2004). Executive producers were Bizarre, Jeremy Geffen, Max Gousse and Mathew Knowles. Its single, “Rockstar”, released in May 2005, was filmed in Detroit and shows Bizarre rapping about his fans to an empty venue, with cameos from Eminem and D12.

Sound and production

Eminem produced “Rockstar” and appears on “Hip Hop”, one of three Hi-Tek productions. Erick Sermon produced “Bad Day”, which samples Ice Cube’s “It Was a Good Day”, and Raphael Saadiq produced and appears on “Coming Home” with Kuniva. Mr. Porter produced three tracks, including “Porno Bitches” with Big Boi and Devin the Dude and the D12 closer “Nuthin’ At All”. Obie Trice and King Gordy also appear.

Legacy

The album peaked at No. 48 on the Billboard 200, No. 26 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and No. 43 in the UK, and “Rockstar” reached No. 17 on the UK Singles Chart. Reviews were mixed, with a Metacritic score of 44, and critics split over its humor.